site.btaOrbelia Winery: Family Winery with Numerous Bulgarian and International Awards

BTA will present dozens of Bulgarian wineries in the New BG WINE Leads the Way series ahead of the 9th UN Global Conference on Wine Tourism, which will be hosted in Plovdiv. The forum is organized by the Ministry of Tourism in partnership with the UN World Tourism Organization.

The Orbelia Winery has won a number of Bulgarian and international awards, owner Kostadin Chorbadziyski told BTA. The name of the winery comes from the ancient Thracian name of Mount Belasitsa, at the foot of which the cellar is located, and translates as "white," "beautiful" mountain.

Over the years, the winery has won awards from the world's largest wine competition, Decanter World Wine. It has also been awarded several silver and bronze medals. Orbelia has also been honored with an award from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, as well as from prestigious Bulgarian competitions such as the Balkan wine exhibition Vinaria. 

Chorbadzhiyski said that the winery, located in the village of Kolarovo near the southwestern town of Petrich, opened in 2014. The cultivation of the vineyards began a little earlier. "Located in one of the most favorable areas for wine production in Bulgaria, Orbelia is our dream come true, which turned a hobby into a professional and responsible activity with a mission - to revive and popularize Bulgarian wine and local varieties," he added.

Vine cultivation is a family tradition. In 2006, the first vineyards were planted. This gradually gave rise to the idea of starting wine production. Currently, the family has its own winery and about 22 hectares of vineyards around Petrich.

Most of the vineyards are planted with typical local varieties. The white varieties include Sandanski Misket, and the red varieties include Shiroka Melniska Loza, Ranna Melniska Loza, Melnik 82, Melnik 1300, and Ruen. There are also plantations with some typical international varieties for the region, such as Chardonnay for white wines and Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Syrah for red wines. 

Orbelia wines are mainly sold in Bulgaria, but the winery also has partners in several European Union countries. Wines from local varieties such as Sandanski Misket and Melnik 55 are preferred.

The winery is equipped with modern technological and laboratory equipment purchased from leading manufacturers in Bulgaria and Italy. The tank capacity is 100,000 litres of wine, and there are also tanks with a capacity of 500 to 5,000 litres, which allows for the selection of small batches of high-quality wines. The quality of the wines is monitored using modern laboratory equipment. The wines are aged in Bulgarian, French, and American oak barrels in a special room with constant temperature and humidity control.